INTRODUCTION…

[1 JN 5:13] The goal…
“I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

NOTE: This was written to those ‘who already believe’...this is not ‘HOW’ one is saved…but evidence that gives you assurance that you have fellowship with God.

- In our study today…John gives us another marker that when present, gives us assurance that we have fellowship with God…which is tied to obeying God’s commands…our obedience in this area gives us assurance we have fellowship with him.

- It isn’t new…he has already said over and over “you can know that you know” you have eternal life if you “walk in the light, live obediently”.

- Acts of obedience DON’T GIVE YOU eternal life, BUT…they are EVIDENCE that you truly do have eternal life…that is a very important thing to make clear.

- Lets keep this in mind as we study what God has for us today in 1 JN…

1. BELIEVE IN JESUS…HE LOVES YOU...
[JUSTIFICATION...SAVED FROM THE PENALTY OF SIN]

[1 JN 3:23a]
"Now this is his command: that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ"

—> CLARITY FROM CONFUSION… I want to make sure no one is confused on HOW you might have fellowship with God…HOW your sins are forgiven || John keeps REMINDING us that we can have assurance, that we can know that we are saved/true disciples/totally forgiven/in fellowship with God

—> ACKNOWLEDGE... Some of you may have been wrongly taught a form of christianity that is full of legalism. That God loves you based on your goodness and he doesn’t love you because you aren’t perfect. In studying 1 JN, if you misunderstand it, you might put these verses in the same category, and it can be confusing if you do. So I want to clarify the HOW of salvation (Justification) with the WHAT of salvation (sanctification) so that there is no confusion as we walk through this book.

[1 JN 5:13]
“I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

- You can “know that you have” eternal life…that you are truly and genuinely a disciple || John is saying that you can know by the FRUIT YOU BEAR…which is YOUR OBEDIENCE TO JESUS
- He is not saying that obedience is HOW you are forgiven, but that obedience is EVIDENCE that you truly do have fellowship with God, that you are his disciple.
- But it starts with you BELIEVING…
(1) Believing that Jesus is who he says he is…[the Son of God, Messiah]
(2) believing that you are who Jesus says you are…[apart from him…lost, dead, blind, alienated, enemy of God]
- The foundation of everything is rooted in our belief…what we believe about who Jesus is and what Jesus did

—> BELIEVING THAT JESUS IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS…
In [JN 14:6] Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This is very exclusive. He is the ONLY way to the Father...not our good works, not any other religion, no other pathways but Jesus. John makes it clear in his letter that in order for us to have fellowship with God, we need to believe in Jesus. That he is God’s Son.

—> BELIEVING THAT WE ARE WHO THE BIBLE SAYS WE ARE…
Apart from God, in our sin, we have no hope. Sin ultimately separates and destroys, death is our portion, judgment is what we deserve. In Ephesians 2:1-3 we are told that we are...dead, walked in wickedness, led by satan, disobedient, satisfying fleshly desires, acting out by doing and thinking evil things, objects of God’s wrath

—> GOD LOVES US & PROVED IT BY SENDING JESUS!
[Ephesians 2:4-10]
"4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift ​— ​9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do."

[JN 3:16]
"For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

[1 JN 3:16]
“This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us.”

- This is the foundation of everything we believe about God’s love towards us…giving us forgiveness…it is truly AMAZING GRACE.

—> THE GOSPEL...[ROM 6:23]
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

—> WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE ...[1 JN 2:1-2]
“My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father ​— ​Jesus Christ the righteous one. 2 He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.”

- LEGAL TERM:
-- "Advocate" (defense attorney)
-- “Atoning Sacrifice”/Propitiation (judgment to appease wrath)

—> BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
- Q: Are you trusting in/believing in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sins?…Jesus + Nothing = Enough…

[ACTS 16:31]
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved”

2. OBEY JESUS…
[SANCTIFICATION...BEING SAVED FROM THE POWER OF SIN]

—> THE PROOF OF OUR FELLOWSHIP IS FOUND IN OUR ACTIONS/OBEDIENCE
- Once you believe and are saved/forgiven/become a disciple…you should BEHAVE differently. John says this over and over in this letter/sermon. Your actions PROVE that your salvation is genuine
…This is why John says…

[1 JN 1:6]
“If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.”

[1 JN 2:3-6]
“This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commands. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know him,” and yet doesn’t keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps his word, truly in him the love of God is made complete. This is how we know we are in him: 6 The one who says he remains in him should walk just as he walked.”

[1 JN 3:21-22]
“21 Dear friends, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight.”

— Obedience is really important…it does not save us or give us a relationship with God…but our obedience shows that Jesus is Lord over our lives…that we are surrendering our will to his will…to do what he is telling us to do
— Q: so how is your obedience? (Question from a couple of weeks ago)… “Are you OBEYING Jesus alone as the Lord of your life?”. If you say you believe, do your actions/obedience give evidence of your relationship with Jesus?

— Direction not perfection…

3. LOVE EACH OTHER…

- John reminds us of this command (not new but expanded). It is an evidence that we are in fellowship with God

[1 JN 3:11]
“For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another”
[1 JN 3:14]
“We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death.”
[1 JN 3:23b]
“...and love one another as he commanded us”

—> CONTRASTING LOVE/HATE...
loving each other gives evidence or assurance that we have fellowship with God...“we know that we have passed from death to life”...the opposite is also true…without love for our bro/sis we are still spiritually dead, indicating we are w/o fellowship with God
-- BTW…DON’T BE SURPRISED BY HATE…

- CAIN DID NOT LOVE...an example of active hatred that led to actual murder. Jesus was clear that Hatred is not different…it is just passive murder.
[1 JN 3:12]
"...unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous."

- Jesus calls us to a higher standard…to love…even our enemies…
[MT 5:21-22]
“21 “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. 22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment.”
Q: Do you fail at this? Yes. We all do

-- HATING = MURDER...
- Passive and active hatred. John states it as well...
[ 1JN 3:15]
"Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.”

- John is just saying what Jesus said…a little more bluntly…
[1 JN 3:13]
"Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you."


- Jesus warned that the world hated him and they will hate us too
[JN 15:18-25]
18 “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. 20 Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they don’t know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I had not done the works among them that no one else has done, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this happened so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled: They hated me for no reason.

—> THE MEANING OF THE WORD LOVE IS CONFUSING…
- I love Rhonda. I love Reese’s peanut butter cups. I love Jesus. Not the same. Jesus defined what he meant when he told us to love each other by giving us an example…
- LOVE IS DEFINED IN ACTION BY JESUS
[1 JN 3:16]
"This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us.”

- Jesus is the example, proved what LOVE is || He is our definition

JESUS ON LOVE…
[JN 13:34]
34 “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

[JN 15:9-17]
9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. 12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. 17 “This is what I command you: Love one another.”

[MT 5:43-48]
43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

—> LOVE OTHERS LIKE JESUS LOVES US…
- He set the standard and defined how we should love. Is there a name and a face of a person you know you are supposed to love…and you won’t, or are unwilling to do that? Why? What is keeping you from obeying?

—> BUT WE CANT LOVE PERFECTLY…
- We fail and our hearts bear witness to our failures, sins.
- Direction not Perfection!

[1 John 3:19-22]
19 This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and will reassure our hearts before him 20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows all things. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight.

—> God is Greater than our hearts…praise Jesus!

KEY THOUGHT:
“BELIEVE in Jesus. OBEY Jesus. LOVE Each Other.”

..:: Have you and Are you BELIEVING in JESUS ALONE for the forgiveness of your sins?
- Stop Striving, Stop replacing, Stop chasing after other gods…trust and believe in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sins

..:: Are you OBEYING JESUS ALONE as the Lord of your life?
- How would you rate your obedience? Pick an area in your life
- Are you depending on the power of the Holy Spirit? Walking in the Spirit, filled with the Spirit, bearing fruit of the Spirit?

..:: Are you actively LOVING OTHERS?
- Christian Brothers and Sisters: is there hatred and unforgiveness in your heart for your brother or sister?
- People in the world: is there a habitual, lifestyle of hatred in your life? Rooted in bitterness towards someone or something?
- if there is…it is something that needs to be dealt with (spiritually lost…spiritually disobedient)
- Remember we have a loving advocate who has paid the price for our sins...run to Jesus...direction not perfection.

[1 JN 2:1-2]
“My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father ​— ​Jesus Christ the righteous one. 2 He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world"

RESPOND, REFLECT & COMMUNION

I would like to give you a chance to respond to God…

-- What did God reveal about who he is to you today in our time in God’s word?
-- What did God reveal about what he has done or is doing in our time in God’s word?
-- What did you learn about who you are as we looked at these stories today?
-- What did you learn about what you are supposed to do?

—> Let's take a minute to thank Him, respond to Him, confess our sins to Him, examine our hearts before we take communion...

—> WHAT IS JESUS SAYING TO YOU TODAY?
—> WHAT IS JESUS ASKING YOU TO DO?